Senate chairman enjoys no respect

NANKANA SAHIB: Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi has said Sadiq Sanjrani commands no respect among masses, as parliamentarians’ votes were bought to make him the Senate chairman.

Addressing the inaugural ceremony of a bridge over River Ravi at Syedwala on Saturday, he said the Senate was a symbol of federation in the country, but unfortunately the incumbent chairman brought insult to his office. He said the Senate chairman did not belong to any political party.

The PM said the PML-N had rejected politics of buying votes and it did not give money to any senator to win their votes. He suggested that Sanjrani should be removed and a consensus candidate should be made the Senate chairman.

Shahid Khaqani said only people could decide about their rulers, and nobody else. He said the opponents were hurling abuses at the PML-N in their rallies, but the Muslim League had always done politics of respect and served the nation. He said people were well aware of performance of the PML-N government in the last four years. He said the government performance was clear and visible like daylight. He said Pakistan People’s Party co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan had proved to be a failure as their governments’ performance remained zero in Sindh and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP) provinces, respectively.

He said former premier Nawaz Sharif was standing among masses even today due to the PML-N government’s performance during the past over four years, while the dharna (sit-in) politics pushed the country towards chaos.

He said now electricity and gas were being provided to industries without any suspension. The PM said the PML-N government completed development projects from Khyber to Karachi, but the party leaders were being punished for serving masses. He said the performance would decide in upcoming elections who would form the next government in Centre and provinces.

He asked people to question other leaders also about their performance when they come to them to seek votes during the upcoming elections. He said the PML-N had always talked about democracy, as country’s progress was linked with democracy and people's right decisions. He said the PML-N would keep serving masses under the leadership of Mian Nawaz Sharif. The PM announced provision of gas in the area and funds for construction of a road from Mor Khunda to Head Balloki. He also pledged help for construction of lawyers’ colony at Nankana.

Punjab Governor Muhammad Rafique Rajwana, federal minister Chaudhry Barjis Tahir, Talal Chaudhry, MNAs Dr Shezra Mansib Ali, Nadeem Abbas Rabeera and Shazadi Umar Hayat Tawana, MPAs Malik Zulqarnain Dogar and Mehr Kashif, Deputy Commissioner Nankana Malik Abdul Waheed and DPO Nankana Sahibzada Bilal Umar were also present on the occasion.

Our correspondent adds: Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, while ruling out the possibility of a judicial or any other form of martial law, said the people of Pakistan believe in democracy and the future of the country would be decided through nothing but ballot in 2018 elections.

Addressing the inauguration ceremony of first CCV line and aluminium alloy manufacturing plant at Sundar Industrial Estate, the PM said the country had gone through the mill and the institutions had been maturing over time in an organic manner. Democracy must and shall prevail and there would be no coup of any sort, added the PM, dispelling the recent buzz created by Sheikh Rashid and the rumour mills.

The PM talked about the state of affairs when PML-N took over the government and the mammoth challenges facing the country. He said the state of economy, security and electric power were at their lowest ebb, but under the leadership of the PML-N Quaid and the premiere at the time Nawaz Sharif, the PML-N handled all these challenges effectively.

He said that thousands of megawatts of electricity had been added to the national grid. “Energy crisis in 2013 was at peak. The government produced over 10,000 megawatts of electricity through direct and alternative means, and this would help Pakistan for years to come,” Abbasi said.

He talked about the foreign investors returning to the country because of the efforts of the PML-N government under Nawaz and termed it the dawn of an era of progress in the country.

Talking about the infrastructural milestones achieved by the government he mentioned that despite limited resources, about 1700-km six lanes motorway network was being completed, he said and expressed his resolve to serve the country with the limited resources.

The prime minister remarked that no one could put an end to the political career of former premier Nawaz Sharif.

“No one has been able to do it before nor will they be able to do it now,” added PM Abbasi in an interview with a private news channel.

Nawaz was previously convicted in a hijacking case, he said, adding that the former premier was even termed a ‘hijacker’.

About the Supreme Court’s verdict which led to Nawaz’s disqualification as the president of Pakistan Muslim League-N, the PM said that after the verdict the party decided that Nawaz would be the ‘Quaid’ [leader] while his brother Shahbaz Sharif was elected president of the party.

“Decisions have also been made after holding discussions with the party members,” he shared, adding that Nawaz’s opinion holds considerable value while making party decisions.

The premier dismissed the chatter about Nawaz going to jail as mere speculation. “Nawaz has been to prison before. He can give party policy from prison as well. People have won elections while being imprisoned.”

Nawaz even managed to run the party even during the tenure of former president General (retd) Pervez Musharraf, he added.